RLA Pastor's blog

I grew up in a musical family. My mother’s family was musically gifted. My grandparents were musical evangelists who traveled throughout the Midwest with their two daughters conducting revival meetings. They played a variety of musical instruments. We still have copies of their promotional pieces with the four of them surrounded by enough instruments to stock a small music store.My dad’s family wasn’t musical at all. But at a very early age he demonstrated a God-given gift for the piano. In the ‘60’s he traveled for three years as the pianist for one of the great gospel quartets – The Blackwood Brothers. Since then, my parents have ministered all over the country in various venues, proclaiming the gospel through music.I have one sister – Cheri. She was born with perfect pitch (she can tell you what key your hair dryer is blowing in!) and is an accomplished pianist. For the first several years of my life I showed little if any musical talent. I began to think the musical blessing had bypassed me completely. Then my dad bought me my first bass guitar. It was love at first sight! That was nearly forty years ago. Since then, music has been a huge part of my life and ministry. In 1984 I married a beautiful young lady who is very musical. We now have three children who are gifted and involved in music ministry. So the legacy continues.Last month we saw the passing of a musical giant. Whitney Houston’s death shocked the world. Whitney began singing in church. She started by using her talent for the Lord. Can you imagine the impact she could have made for the kingdom if only she had used her gift for Jesus? Instead, she ended up using it for that which profits nothing. She made the same mistake as Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of beans. What a waste!This reminds me of the repeated refrain in the poem, Only One Life, written by missionary Charles Thomas Studd –“Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”We all have a gift. Some are blessed with several. Whatever your gift may be, use it for Jesus. Use it for His glory, and the advancing of His kingdom. When this life is over, it’s over. As the great missionary said, “Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

While reading the Gospel of John the other day I was captured by the phrase that appears at the end of 1:16, “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” So what does the phrase “grace for grace” mean?First, we need to know the meaning of grace. Yes, grace is the unmerited favor of God. Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace. But it doesn’t stop there. We not only need grace to get saved; we need grace to live the life of the saved.Grace is the free empowerment of God for life and service. It’s the thing that provides us with “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Everything we need in order to be saved and serve Jesus comes to us by grace. Back to the phrase, “grace for grace.” The idea here is grace following grace, or grace by degrees. Think of this phrase the next time you go to the beach. Stand there and watch the waves coming in one after another. You will notice that before one wave is gone, another has come. There seems to be an endless supply as wave follows wave.That’s the way it is with God’s grace. Before the last wave of grace has gone, a new wave has come. And it will never stop because God has an infinite supply of grace! You will also notice that the waves increase in size as they approach the beach. Likewise, grace may start small but it increases in size depending on the size of the need. The Bible calls it abounding grace.James 4:6 says, “He gives more grace.” What a comforting and encouraging thought! That no matter what I face in life, God will always give more grace. You will always be able to say, “God’s grace is sufficient for me!”Think of it like this –· My failures < GRACE· My burdens < GRACE· My challenges < GRACE· My fears < GRACEAnd on and on it goes. God’s grace is always greater than!No matter what the future holds, God will always provide the grace to get us through. Thank God for His amazing, abounding grace!Pastor Todd Weston

Hear the warning of the Hebrew writer – BEWARE! Beware that no root of bitterness takes hold in your heart. Here is how the warning reads, “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15).Bitterness is DANGEROUS. The writer said the root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble. Bitterness causes trouble to the person who has allowed it in their heart. It can cause them to fall short of God’s grace. In other words, it can actually cause a person to lose their salvation. It can cause them to forfeit eternal life. That’s a terrible price to pay just so you can stay bitter at someone. Bitterness is dangerous for another reason – it’s CONTAGIOUS. While bitterness brings trouble to the person who has allowed it in their heart; it also causes trouble for others, too. The Hebrew writer said, “And by this many become defiled.” The 20th Century NT translation reads, “Take care that…no bitterness is allowed to take root…and so poison the whole community.” Bitterness is not an attitude of heaven; forgiveness is. We all have things that happen to us, whether real or perceived, about which we could allow a root of bitterness to spring up in our hearts. Satan will see to that! The Hebrew writer warns us to not take the bait. If you sense a root of bitterness starting to spring up in your heart, pull it out by the roots and be done with it.The wisest man in the world gave this bit of advice, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Bitterness spills over and contaminates everything it touches. So protect your heart. Protect yourself. And do what Paul said in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ Jesus forgave you.”Pastor Todd Weston

Just before he died, Joseph asked his family to make a very strange promise. He said God would surely visit them and bring them out of Egypt to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 50:24). He then made them promise to take his bones with them (Genesis 50:25). So they made the promise. Then Joseph died, was embalmed and buried in Egypt (Genesis 50:26).Fast forward some 200 years to the night of the exodus. The grip of Pharaoh was finally broken by the death angel, and the Children of Israel were in a hurry to get out of Egypt. That’s when Moses gave the order – Go get Joseph’s bones! We can’t leave without them! So they dug up the coffin, and for the next forty years someone had the unique job of hauling Joseph’s bones all over the Sinai wilderness.In the meantime, Moses died and Joshua became the new leader. Under Joshua the Children of Israel finally moved into the Promised Land and launched the conquest of Canaan. Everywhere they went, the bones of Joseph went with them. Finally, in the next to the last verse in the book of Joshua we read that they buried Joseph’s bones in the family cemetery in Shechem. He made it at last!I think it’s interesting that in the roll call of the heroes of faith that appears in Hebrews 11, the writer said nothing about Joseph resisting Potiphar’s wife, or his faithfulness during those years in prison, or his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, or even his role in saving Egypt from starvation. So what did the writer say about Joseph? Here it is, “By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:22). That’s it. Joseph told his people, Someday you are going to leave this place, and when you do, take me with you!Although he lived his entire adult life in Egypt, although he acquired fame and fortune in Egypt, although he married and raised a family in Egypt, Joseph never considered it his home. He knew he was a stranger and a pilgrim in Egypt (Hebrews 11:13). And he died in faith without seeing the promise, but he was convinced in his heart it would be fulfilled. And it was!Do you believe in a place called heaven? Do you desire a better country? Do you understand that this world is not your home? We’re just passing through on our way to the place Jesus is preparing for us. So remember Lot’s wife and don’t get too attached to this old world because it’s only temporary. Heaven is our forever home. Pastor Todd